One-time Duke hoopster now making movies

Brand, a former Duke University basketball star, apparently has been bitten by the Hollywood bug while playing for the Los Angeles Clippers.

Sports Business Journal, a sister publication of Triangle Business Journal, reports that Brand is a part owner of Gibraltar Films, which is producing an action flick called "Rescue Dawn." The Vietnam-era war movie stars Christian Bale, who played the caped crusader in 2005's "Batman Begins."

No word yet on whether Coach K has a cameo, but Biz is sure a product placement for American Express could be worked in somewhere ...

Days after fire destroyed the Durham Rescue Mission's food pantry, a grocer has stepped up its efforts to help.

Biz hears that the Harris Teeter in Durham's Willowdale Shopping Center has donated a week's supply of food to the nonprofit - enough for the mission to provide three squares a day to 180 people.

The food helps to replace at least part of the supply ruined by the fire on April 9. Harris Teeter presented the food to the mission on April 10.

What you want? Baby, I got it!

Or at least the Carolina Performing Arts Series has it.

Famed vocalist Aretha Franklin is among the performers included in the 2007-2008 Carolina Performing Arts season at UNC's Memorial Hall in Chapel Hill.

In addition to the "Queen of Soul," the upcoming roster includes the likes of K.D. Lang, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, Brazilian vocalist Caetano Veloso, the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, country singer Mary Chapin Carpenter and percussion troupe Stomp.

The season includes 35 performances from September 2007 through May 2008. New ticket subscriptions will be processed after May 14, and single tickets for all performances go on sale July 23.

Talk about an oxymoron.

A Wake County government news release reveals that the "Blue Ribbon Committee on the Future of Wake County" will meet on May 2. The 65-member committee was established to examine the long-term infrastructure needs of the county and recommend funding mechanisms.

What's oxymoronic is that the meeting will take place at Exploris - a downtown museum that's turned out to be one of the most bone-headed projects ever undertaken in the county.

Oh well. Perhaps meeting inside a white elephant will inspire these folks to (a) never do it again and (b) figure a new use for the Exploris building. (Hint: aquarium.)

Florida home furnishings store chain W.S. Badcock Corp. has been planning a move into the Triangle for at least three years, and the company celebrated the milestone April 10 with a Badcock & More store in Garner.

CEO Don Marks and Badcock family member Wogie Badcock III were on hand to help local dealers Kelley Butler and her brother, Marc Butler, host the event.

Badcock plans to open five to six other stores throughout the Triangle, but it has not finalized the locations.

What goes around, comes around.

That's the idea behind Capstrat's Boomerang Society, a community involvement program driven by junior level employees at the Raleigh PR shop. The group plans to help the Women's Center of Wake County tackle homelessness in the Triangle as an annual pro bono project.

Over the next year, the Boomerang Society plans to devote 150 hours of donated employee time. Volunteers will focus on developing marketing and advertising material that will help create awareness and motivate community action to decrease homelessness in the Triangle.

Safe Haven for Cats will hold its third annual Tuxedo Cat Ball on April 28 from 7p.m. to 11 p.m. Tickets for the event, whose dress code calls for "creative black and white tie," cost $25 per person. Organizers hope to raise $40,000 at the event, which will be held at the Amran Shriners Hall in north Raleigh.

Ever seen a brawny guy in the park with his bullmastiff and think, "Wow, they look alike."

Or an angular lady walking her Great Dane?

Well, some people do look like their dogs, and a new Web site verifies it. Just go to www.doyoulooklikeyourdog.com and check out some look-alikes.

Biz hears the look-like-your-dog phenom also is giving rise to a new book, a game and a song that's on YouTube that goes like this:

"Do you look like your dog? Lots of folks do.

'Cause you choose what you like and like what you choose.

Do you have the same hairstyle? Same look and walk?

Do you look like your dog? You might as well bark!"

What will Americans think of next to make money?

A big shout-out goes to all those volunteers - 401 men, women and children - who sat to have their heads shaved to raise money for the St. Baldrick's Foundation, which is working to find a cure for pediatric cancer.

So far, $250,000 has been stashed away because of the shavings, and more is still coming in.

Although he didn't have much to lose, Chuck Kaiton, "the voice of the Carolina Hurricanes," lost his locks, as did goalie Cam Ward.

Since its inception in 2000, St. Baldrick's has raised more than $29 million for the cause.

As for the Hurricanes, it's hard to believe the team hasn't been the Hartford Whalers for an entire decade. But that's the case.

When the organization relocated for the 1997 season, few cheers were heard outside the Raleigh business community. Boos could even be heard from some ice hockey fans angered that they were losing their beloved - and inexpensive - Raleigh IceCaps minor league team.

But, for those who care, what a ride it's been.

Forget this season and missing the playoffs. Remember last season and that amazing run to the Stanley Cup championship. Ask the fans of any National Hockey League city this question, and guess what the answer would be: "Would you trade missing the playoffs one season for winning the Cup the season before?"

You betcha.

You won't see the Carolina Hurricanes' name emblazoned on a piece of metal for not making the playoffs. But the team - and our community - is immortalized on the most famous sports trophy of all for winning it all.

Besides, we'll be back!

A side effect of the rapid consolidation in the telecom market is the disappearance of once ubiquitous brand names.

AT&T is seeking permission from the North Carolina Utilities Commission to discontinue long-distance services offered by SBC Communications, one of the Bell companies it gobbled up during a buying spree that also consumed BellSouth.

Interestingly, AT&T cannot simply transition former Bell customers to its services. Instead, when a customer's contract expires, AT&T's marketing staff has to convince that customer to sign on to the new provider.

SBC customers are currently receiving letters from the company informing them of the change.

Terri Hoskins, a lawyer for AT&T, says a similar phase-out for BellSouth brand services is planned for later in the year or in early 2008.

You won't see any "For Sale" signs on the lawns, but the owners of many of the Triangle's premier commercial buildings are looking for buyers.

Starmount Co. of Greensboro is putting its entire portfolio of 4 million square feet of office and retail buildings in North Carolina and Virginia on the market.

The sale, which could fetch more than $500 million, would include Starmount's four office and retail buildings at Trinity Corporate Park in Raleigh and the Renaissance Center retail centers in Durham.

Starmount's Brad Rice says the company wants to focus on the development of new office, retail and mixed-use projects in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. Under construction is a 72,000-square-foot office building in Trinity Corporate Park, and the company plans to build a 102,000-square-foot retail center in Wake Forest.

American Asset Corp. of Charlotte is said to be marketing its first two office buildings in the Brier Creek Corporate Center off U.S. 70 in northwest Raleigh for as much as $215 a square foot.

AAC built the two 90,200-square-foot buildings in 2005, and each is almost 100 percent occupied by tenants that include Stock Building Supply and Schwartz Biosciences. AAC built a third office building in Brier Creek in 2006, and two others are under construction.

Sources say Keystone Corp. of Durham has under contract to sell three Class A office buildings built in 2000 and 2001 on Davis Drive, a portfolio with a total of 287,500 square feet of space.

Keystone already has sold off most of its other property in Durham, including a 77,000-square-foot building for $12.3 million in December and its portfolio of 12 flex buildings in January 2006 for $100 million.

The owner of the Research Tri-Center industrial park in Durham is looking for a new buyer for its 10 warehouse, office and flex buildings with a total of 1.5 million square feet of space.

Transwestern Investment Co. of Chicago bought nine of the buildings in early 2005 for $52.8 million after the buildings' loans went into default from the previous owners and were only 44 percent occupied.

The park is now 83 percent occupied and is expected to sell for much more than two years ago.

For the fifth year, Reeds Jewelers is challenging fourth and fifth graders to pen an essay about - what else - jewelry and their mothers. The subject: "Why my mother deserves a simply beautiful diamond necklace."

A winner from each school will win a diamond heart pendant and a carnation to present to their mom on Mother's Day.

Do you have a sneaking suspicion that your employees aren't devoting all of their time and effort to your company during the work day? Turns out that you're probably right.

A survey from the temporary staffing service Officeteam reveals that office workers spend an average of 36 minutes per day - the equivalent of three hours per week - attending to personal tasks.